Improvement in hay-loaders



llNIra Starts.

PATENT rrIcn.

WILLIAM H. ELLIOT, or rLArTsBUne, New YORK.

IMPROVEMENT IN HAY-LOADERS.

To all whom t may concern:

Beit known that I, WM. H. ELLIOT, of Plattsburg, in the county of Clinton, in the State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Machine for Loading Hay; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon.

Similar letters of reference indicate the same devices in all the figures.

To enable others skilled in the arts to comprehend, make, and use my invention, I will proceed to describe its nature, construction, and operation.

The nature of my invention consists in combining the advantages of a crane and swing with the hay-rack and hay-fork for loading hay, the crane being so constructed that the weight of a fork-load of hay hanging upon the end ofthe arm of the crane will dis pose it to lock in certain positions that are convenient for swinging or drawing the hay upon the rack.

Figure 1 is an elevation of my improved hay rack, crane, swing, fork, and binding devices. Fig. 2 is a plan or top view of my improved crane. Fig. 3 is an elevation of ahayrack and a-portion of my crane. Figs. 4 and 5 are sections of the two extremities of the arm of my crane. Fig. 6 is a plan ofthe fork.

ais a rack; bcclefghtklmno, crane; b, standard of the crane; c, spider or bedpiece; d, shaft of the arm; e, head of the arm; f, braces of the standard; g, braces of the arm; h, tensionsrod; t', locking-bolt; k, spring of the lockingbolt; L, connecting-rod between the locking-bolt and the lever m; n, lever-spring; o, fla-nge ou the top of the standard; p, bearings of the shaft; q, boltholes in the spider; r, pivot of lever m; s, notches in the flange; t, swing or raisin g cord u o w pitchfork; uf, attachment of swing t to the fork; o, lower set of tines; 1v, upper set of tines; x, handle; yzz, binding devices; y, binding-slide; z, binding-cords; z', cord for drawing down the slide.

My invention is intended to assist the pitcher, or man who pitches, in taking the hay from the ground in the hay-held and placing it upon the rack or wagon, and its operation is as follows: The wagon is driven up to the side of or within a convenient distance of a hay cock or tumble. The pitcher then inserts the fork, and, pressing down the handle, lifts 'the hay'from the ground, the swing-cord t supporting the fulcrum w. When the hay is lifted from the ground, if the pitcher desire to place it upon the rear end of the rack, he moves with his fork-load to the forward end of the rack, the arm of the crane' swinging around to a position over the forward corner of the wagon, where it is locked by bolt t' falling into one of the notches s. When once locked, the crane will not swing around horizontally again until swing tis released from the weight of the fork-load. Thus the upper end of swing `t becomes fixed. Now, by pushing the fork to ward the rear end of the wagon it is caused by swing-cord t to swing up to the top of the load, when it may be disengaged' from the fork in the ordina-ry manner. If the pitcher desire to put the hay upon the forward end of the rack, he moves with his fork-load to the rear end of the wagon, when the arm becomes fixed as before, and then by pushing upon the fork he readily swings the hay up to the top of the forward end of the load.

While there is no other weight than the fork upon swing t the spring n is strong enough to depress spring k and hold the locking-bolti out of the notches s. ln this condition the arm will swing around horizontally without locking, but as soon as a load is taken upon the fork-spring n becomes depressed by the action of lever m, when spring k acts upon the lookin g-bolt t' 'to draw it into notches sin the flange upon the standard, and thus lock the arm of the crane while lever m remains depressed by the weight of the forkload. When the weight is removed from swing t, spring n causes lever m to assume its former position, which draws locking-bolt 'L' out of the notches s by means of connectingrod l, which connects lever m with lockingbolt t. In this way the arm is locked at the right moment and in any convenient position.

My improvement in the fork consists in employing two or more sets of tines, one above the other. Iuse two tines above and three below. o c v are the lower tines, and w w are the upper tines. This fork grasps and holds the hay more firmly when it is brought to a vertical position than a fork with a single set of tines.

My improvement in binding` consists in attaching one end of two or more binding-cords, z z, tothe corners or extremities of the rack. The other ends of the cords are attached to slide 3/ when these are drawn as tight as may be by hand. rlhe slide y is drawn down the standards by cord z" by means of a small Windlass, p1.illeybl0ck,'or any other convenient method. In this way the load may be firmly bound by the employment cf very little force.

Il`here are many modilications of this invention, which might, perhaps, be employed to advantage, such as placing` a lever upon the top ot' the crane to shorten the swingcord, to be operated by the man 011 the load. By this means the swing could be leng'lhened so as to reaeh a cock ot' hay at some distance from the rack, and then, by means ot' a le r or windlass attached to the crane, the swingcord may be drawn up to the length required when the cock is close to the rack, or it may be drawn up higher and so assist the pitcher in his efforts. The whole arm ot' tle crane may be used as a` li Ver, having its fulcrl m on the top ot' the standard, and operated by the man on the load. In this way several feet or .vertical motion may be given to the head ot' the arm, and by a proper application of ay bolt, similar to bolt i, the arm may be locked in its Vertlcal motion, as it is herein shown to be locked in its horizontal motion. The crane may be high enough to draw the forlcload of hay to the top ot" the load, as in case ot' an ordinary windlass, without swinging,` the forkload at all.

Having described my invention, what I desire to have secured to me by Letters Patent ot' the United States isl. rIhe employment ot' a crane, in combination with a hay-rack and hay-fork, for the purpose herein specified.

2. rIhe employment of swingcord t, in combination with a hay-fork, when said cord is attached to some fixed point above and operated in the manner and for the purpose herein set forth.

The employment of swingcord t and a hayi'ork, in combination with a crane, the arm otl which may be locked at certain points, as and for the purpose herein specilied.

AI. So constructing` the lockingzz` devices that they will lock the arm of the crane in certain positions while the weight of the fork-load is acting` upon swing t and will unlock the arm and leave it at liberty to swing around freely when there is no load upon the fork, as herein set forth.

W. H. ELLIOT.

Vitnesses:

M. LEWIS, W. W. THOMAS. 

